Eighteen And Famous
by ScribblesOfLove
Summary: Alex Russo was finally certain how right they were when they told her the road to stardom was never smooth. Especially when you're on set with a certain curly-haired rockstar, and his equally charming elder brother. Nalex/Nelena Rated T for language.
1. Eighteen

**A/N: Who loves Nalex? Aren't they the HOTTEST couple ever? First story so please R&R!**

"_You changed, Nate. You changed." Tears rolled down Alexandra Russo's cheeks, creating a faint dark pattern on her light blue jeans. _

"_I didn't bloody change dumbass, it was a freaking misunderstanding!" Nate Gray pushed Alex angrily against a nearby wall, pressing his head near to hers. _

_Alex pushed him off, but not before planting a light kiss on his parted lips._

"_I'll miss you Nate."_

_Nate stormed off, slamming the old mahogany door behind him. Alex sank to the floor, sobbing hopelessly, shoulders shaking._

"Beep! Beep!"

The rythmytic beeps of Alex's alarm clock woke her with a start. It had been two years. Two years, and that dream still recurred in her mind again and again.

"Damn you, Nathaniel Gray."

Alex muttered under her breath, rolling out of bed.

He had come, he had loved, he had cheated, and he had gone.

With her best friend Mitchie happily dating and her other friend Harper away at college, Alex wondered if she had done the right thing by moving to Hollywood to pursue her dreams. Especially with her parents gone and her brother married.

Alexandra Russo was eighteen.

Eighteen, and an international rock star.

**A/N: That was to get you hooked. Now review! And I shall continue. 10 reviews please.**


	2. That Bloody Manager

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Especially camirae and bintou10 who were so very sweet! So even though I didn't get 10 reviews I will give you this anyway. ******** As a thank you note. Keep reading!**

Alex rolled out of bed. It would be another long day.

"Don't you hate it when the days just never end, Dragon?"

She patted her pet beagle on the head, and sighed.

Dragon was named for her brother.

After her parents died in a tragic car accident, Alex and Justin were left magic-less, and hopeless. The two grew closer than ever, and after Justin got married Alex was forced to live on her own. He hadn't forgotten her though, as he bought her a small apartment a few blocks away from the recording studio – her second home.

She opened a card from him, lying inconspicuously on the table.

"_Dear Alex, _

_Hope you are feeling all right._

_Miranda and I are getting along swimmingly. _

_Watched you on the awards last night, great job Lex!_

_PS: Guess what? You are having a little niece soon. _

_She is going to be called Theresa after Mother Theresa._

_Love, Justin"_

Alex giggled as she read the card. Justin was the only 22 year old she knew that still used words like 'swimmingly'. As for the old-fashioned moniker for her soon-to-be niece, all she could do was hope for a better name if they had a second child.

"Silly, Dragon. I have work, darling." She gently tugged the red leash away from her puppy's mouth.

"Later, sweetie."

As she pulled on a pair of Super Skinny black jeans and a white long-sleeved ruffled blouse, she hummed along to her hit single, White Horse:

_Say you're sorry_

_That face of an angel comes out_

_Just when you need it to_

_As I pace back and forth all this time _

_'Cause_

_I honestly believed in you_

And just like always, Alex couldn't help but ache, when she thought about who the song was about. He occurred meaninglessly in everything she did, so try as she might, she could not rid her mind of him. It didn't help of course, that her hit singles were usually about him. _Whatever, _she reminded herself. Nate Gray was so last year. She was definitely over him. Or was she?

Brushing such irrelevant thoughts from her head, she slipped on a pair of black round-toe pumps, and picked up her yellow Marc Jacobs tote. Being famous, she could afford such commodities.

Honestly, Alex Russo would have paid a hell lot of her money to get her _out _of the crazy whirlwind no one on the outside saw. Still, she loved singing, oh, and the amazing fans. What she _didn't_ love was Disney Channel recruiting her for a new TV serial, and her power-hungry manager saying yes.

"I swear he is so getting fired soon," she muttered and hailed a cab.

------

"Mornin', Sarah." She dashed into the room, the air conditioning teasing and tossing a few strands of hair out of place, the dim light illuminating her flushed cheeks just slightly.

"People! Move it!" Sarah replied, locking the glass doors with a faint click. She turned, and smiled sheepishly at Alex. "The paps get worse every day don't they?"

Alex grimaced, and nodded, before moving to the back, ignoring the constant clicks and flashes of cameras through the glass panes.

"Miss R-R-Russo," her manager ran up to her. "Your appointment with the recording studio has been cancelled."

"Good morning John- wait. What?".

"Disney has directed you to set 3, at their filming block immediately for the promo shoot for 'The Girls, and Delaine requires you to contact Miss Torres.'"

Alex groaned. _Gosh. Would the bloody manager actually keep track of all the shit he signed her up for? _"Whatever John, just get me a cab."

"T-T-The limo is out the ba-"

"Thank you!" She sang, turning on her heels, and heading for the back door, cell phone pressed against ear.

".." She growled.


	3. For Now

**A/N: Thank you thank you thank you!!! Mitchie's outfit: ./3074/2579258054_?v=0**

"Hey girlie." Mitchie Torres picked up her iPhone, and placed it gingerly between her ear and shoulder. "I'm doing my nails, so do you want to come over and –"

"Mitch, the Disney whackos want us at studio 3 for a promo shoot." Alex Russo muttered into her Sony Erricson.

"Oh gosh. Oh gosh." Mitchie Torres came through the line muffled. "Bring me a pair of boots and I will meet you there in my Havianas."

"All right, Silly Mitchie. Love you!" Alex put down the phone after hear Mitchie scream for her sister.

She collapsed into the posh leather furnishing of the car, if you called it that and hailed the driver.

"Jacob, first to my apartment please, I need something for Miss Torres…"

The driver winked, and sped off down the road. He only addressed the girls by their last names, for he was a staff. And staff was not at liberty to use the girls' nicknames, their management said. (Not that the girls cared of course…)

---

"Mitch!"

"Lexie!"

The two girls embraced, squealing. Alex looked down. Mitchie was gorgeous, as usual, in a simple striped sweater and skinny jeans ensemble, her signature black fedora perched upon her auburn locks. Perfectly amazing, except… for her feet. Her black toenails were newly painted and glistening with silver guitars. Mitchie was a nail art genius, of course. What _didn't_ look right was the pair of bright pink Havianas.

"Maddie's" She muttered. "Mine were chewed up by Elvis." The following conversation would have probably sounded very wrong to any passerby, but Elvis was Mitchie's golden retriever, and Maddie, her older sister.

These Alex knew, and she laughed appreciatively, placing her black Steve Madden's on the floor.

"Thank you so much," Mitchie expertly pulled them on. "These nails only dried like 10 seconds ago, I swear, Hans was freaked out by my hairdryer!"

Trust Mitchie to dry her nails in the limo, with her wireless hair dryer (A limited edition, gift from Alex.)

"I'm guessing Hans swerved a couple of times?" Alex laughed.

"Ya got that right!" Mitchie replied in an overly Texan twang.

"Girls, Girls, to hair and makeup please." Delaine De Silva ran over. She was Mitchie's manager, often working through John. "On the other hand…" She paused, giving the girls the old up-down. "Head down the hall and go straight to wardrobe. You two look splendid." She clapped her hands together, like an excited mother.

"Splendeed!" They walked off, mocking her drawl. It was yet another normal day for the two young celebrities.

As their high heels clacked rythmiticly against the concrete floor, they sang together.

"_And don't say that you need me, and don't play these games with my mind. You better stop messing around cos' you're wasting your time—"_

"Ladies." A slim woman in her 20s extended her hand. "Jennifer Claire Nett, wardrobe stylist. Please head left and pick something nice for yourself."

"Sure, thanks." they smiled, before walking off and giggling again.

"Hey remember your reaction when you got your first photo shoot?" Mitchie laughed at the thought. "_I get to pick ANYTHING_?" She doubled over, in a laughing fit.

"Whatever! I was young and immature."

"Yeah, you were." Mitchie agreed, recovering herself and suppressing the smile that tugged mercilessly at the corners of her lips.

"Shut up," Alex punched Mitchie lightly on the shoulder. "You know you really suck?"

"Thanks. I love you too, Lex."

Mitchie turned the handle of the white polished door, and they entered the haven of couture – set wardrobe. Every girl's dream, in pink, purple, green, black, red, and even the most unflattering orange. For Alex, vests, skinnies, Converse and scarves. For Mitchie, boots, leggings and the occasional sweatshirt. And there were of course the insignificant dresses and flouncy skirts.

As they pulled on the clothes, Alex's eyes fell upon a shimmery black top. "Oh, this is so hot for you…" She held it up against Demi, who already had on a black v-neck and leggings.

"Oh my gosh, you're right! I love you!"

Just then, the door swung open. It was Jennifer.

"No, no, no." She gasped. "This is all wrong."

"Demetria is a purple girl, _nawt_ a black girl." She held up a purple v-neck, and threw it at Mitchie. "And Selena is very simple, way too simple to wear _that_." She gestured at the white cropped jacket Alex had on.

"But you said anything…" Mitchie trailed off. It had been ages since any stylist dared to criticize her black-and-leather get-ups. "Besides, I don't wear _purple_." She held the top out in distaste.

"Too bad my darling, what Disney says, goes." Jennifer rummaged through a pile of clothes under 'Selena'. "Don't you girls know how to read?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but we didn't know our characters…" Alex muttered.

"Yeah, it was all some big secret," Mitchie added on.

"Do _nawt_ argue with the professional," Jennifer growled. "This job pays the bills, and if you don't co-operate, I'm going straight to the big shots." She flung a denim vest at Alex.

"Put that on, now I have to attend to the boys." She ended with an eye roll, and exited the room.

"_Nawt_!" The friends chorused, and collapsed in a fit of laughter once again. They were used to it. Overly-dramatic stylists, pushy photographers, and grouchy directors. What was important was that they had each other. It was all that mattered. For now, anyway.


	4. Fun and Games

**A/N: Thanks so much to my reviewers! You are all so kickass awesome, it's crazy!**

**Dedicated to: Kits, for being there for me no matter what, and for making me laugh at your absolute corniness.**

**Trailer: Made by me!**

.com/watch?v=SgEVyRVUeT4

"So," Alex pulled on a dark red T-shirt. "Who is this Selena girl anyway?"

"It's probably the president." Mitchie tugged on a pair of black skinnies. She turned, and seeing Alex's awed expression, giggled.

"She's your character, genius."

"Oh." Alex paused. "I knew that."

"Sure you did." Mitchie laughed. "How's this?" Mitchie flung her arms in the air. She had on a purple ruffled v-neck, skinnies, and silver flats.

"Very, _un-Mitchie_." Alex struggled with the right word.

Mitchie frowned. "I know," she sighed. "You look great though."

"Me?" Alex brushed a piece of lint off her flouncy orange skirt. "I look like a girly-girl."

"No you don't!" Mitchie protested. "You look edgy, with a girly tinge. It's awesome, really."

Dubiously, Alex glanced at her vest, top and skirt get-up. "Ok… she muttered."

"Hey!" Mitchie gasped.

"What?" Alex looked up, looking at the direction Mitchie was pointing. All she saw, a few sheets of papers stapled together.

"Wow. A stack of papers. Scary. Oooh." She waved her hands above her head in mock fear.

"No, you dumbass!" Mitchie slapped Alex. "A script!"

A script. A script. The hallowed, sacred script no one had seen.

"Oh my gosh." Alex dashed for it. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."

Mitchie snatched the script, and she read.

"Characters, Alexandra Russo, Selena.

Michelle Torres, Demetria,

Shane Gray, Joseph.

Nate Gray, Nicholas."

"Wait." Alex yelped. "NATE?"

"And Shane…" Mitchie trailed off, turning around to hide her flushed face.

"Alex, calm down he is probably not you're…"

"BOYFRIEND!"

"What?" Mitchie whirled back around.

"_And Nick kisses Selena on the cheek_." Alex read. "Oh gosh, Mitch. He's playing my _boyfriend_."

Footsteps approached, and they flung the script back on the floor. "Shhh." Alex hissed uncertainly, would they get in trouble?

As they grimaced at each other, Jennifer came in.

Fortunately, or not, she didn't notice the dropped script.

"Stage 1, girls." She snarled.

"O-Ok."

"S-Sure!"

They smiled, and ran out of the room.

"WHAT are you going to do?" Mitchie scream-whispered.

"How am I supposed to know?" Alex muttered.

"Ugh, they were probably trying to stir up trouble for you and Nate."

"Ya think?" Alex stared blankly ahead, laughing at random intervals.

"I'm trying to not arouse suspicion," she whispered, as they walked past countless photographers, directors, and designers.

"Oh. Right." Mitchie grinned. Alex was good at being sneaky. She always had been.

"Nate, a little to the left." A call by the photographer woke the girls out of their not-so silent conversation. Kerry Nortega, the show's director, walked over to them.

"Hi girls, just wait over there while Nate finishes up."

They smiled, and Alex sank Mitchie into a few foldable chairs in the corner of the room.

"Oh gosh. No, no, no." Alex muttered, placing her head in her hands.

Mitchie, alarmed, hugged Alex close. "Calm down, Lex. What's the problem?"

"The s-sexy eyes!" She whispered. "I can't stand them!"

Mitchie turned her head, and noticed Nate looking perfectly normal. Not the sexual dynamo she was expecting. Of course she wasn't about to let on she knew nothing, and she whispered comfortingly into Alex's ear. "Of course, I understand. Now sit up, Shane is coming over."

Alex bolted upright, and waved unenthusiastically at the dark-haired boy approaching.

"Lexie!" He gave her a hug. "How's that brother of yours?"

Shane was twenty one, just a little younger than Justin. And when Justin left, Alex often wished for the big brother feeling he gave her, especially when she was dating Nate, and Shane would keep checking on them in the hall to make sure they didn't '_do anything_'. Pity he hadn't checked on Nate when Alex wasn't around.

"He's great, good to see you, Shane." Alex smiled, Shane was awesome. She looked to her side at a very-red Mitchie.

"Uhh, this is my best friend, Michelle Torres."

"So I finally meet The Michelle Torres the people in my studio keep talking about." Shane dropped to the ground and kissed her on her hand, ever the gentleman. "Charming, aren't you?"

"It's Mitchie. You can call me Mitchie, I mean. Hi, I'm Mitchie." She held out her hand, blushing.

He took it, and smiled. "Shane Gray."

Alex would have laughed, if not for Nate approaching. Okay, she could do this. It was only a boy. Even if it was a really cute, curly haired, good kisser of a boy.

"Nathaniel." She cordially held out her hand.

"Alexandra." He shook the hand, smiling slightly.

_Oh my gosh, Lex. He's making you melt! _Alex tried to ignore the nagging voices in her head, and smiled. _He's so hotsohotsohot. STOP! Thank you. _She cancelled out all her thoughts.

"How have you been, Nate?" She struggled with the words. What was she doing? A minute ago she was wanting to kill him and now, wanting to kiss him?

"Fine, thank you." He smiled, unknowingly making her want him even more.

Damnit, hot boys should all stop smiling, shouldn't they?

Alex forced herself to smile apologetically, and whisper into Mitchie's ear. "Bathroom. NOW."

"Sorry," Alex took Mitchie's hand. "We need to see to something first." And they ran out of the room.

-------

"What are you doing?" Mitchie asked.

"I'm sorry, Mitch. One more second and I would have either jumped his bones or punched him in the gut." Alex leaned against the cool tiles of the bathroom. She was safe here, safe from all curly-haired hot guys.

"I understand." Mitchie patted Alex on the back. "Still, you should at least be civil to the boy. You're an actress after all…"

Mitchie was right. Alex straightened her back, and pushed a few loose curls out of her face. She was an actress wasn't she? Civil? She'd show them civil.

Let the fun and games begin.

**A/N: Now, are you all wondering about why Alex is so caught up in Nate? Want to know more? Read my prequel, White Horse today! **

… **I sound like a television broadcaster don't I? Sigh.**

**.net/s/4920337/1/White_Horse**


	5. Curiosity

**A/N: Oh, reading reviews makes my day! I love you guys! Plus, for those that Favorite-d/ Alerted, please let me have a review to see how you guys like it, it really means a lot to me. **

**Dedicated to Camirae. Her stories kickass!**

"Fine, Mitchie?" Alex looked up, meeting her friend's gaze. "I can do this."

"Yes you can!" Mitchie gave Alex a hug. "You can knock him dead, girlie. Besides, I saw him give you the old up-down!"

They giggled, and Alex removed herself from the embrace. "Thank you, you're my best friend, you know that right?"

"Of course." Mitchie smiled. "Now go give that boy what he deserves!"

_Oh yeah. He's going to get it all right._

And all those years of diabolical planning, scheming, and cutting class were rushing back to her. Alex twirled her finger around a lock of hair. Anxiously, excitedly, she set out for the photo shoot room.

The swaying of her hips as she walked became almost a beat, and her hair blew in its fully conditioned glory. As she sashayed over, she gave her lips a quick lip (instant gloss) and clicked her silver bangles high up on her arm so they wouldn't fall against her wrist. Showtime.

"Hey…" Alex caught up with the group that was done. Mitchie was called for her turn in front of the camera, and Alex felt the missing support she so dearly needed. _Never mind, start a conversation, start a conversation…_

"So, Shane." Alex decided to go with the guy who hadn't broken her heart. "How is the new fashion line coming?"

Shane smiled, "Good, real good."

Shane was the fashionista of the gang, and took hours in the bathroom. When they were on tour Alex remembered how she and Nate had to pour water on his guitar to get him out of the bathroom. Now, he was creating his own clothing line. Not bad, for someone as young as twenty two.

_You can do this you can do this. _

Alex forced herself to turn towards Nate. "How about you, Nate? Will you be designing any clothes?"

"No, not currently." He smiled, and her heart fluttered once again. _Damn you, Nate. _

"You look great, Lex."

_Shitshitshit. Not again. _

As if on cue, Alex's knees felt a little weak, her palms a little clammy. Just like when they had first met at Camp Rock 3 years ago. "T-Thanks." She delivered the shortest word possible that would fit the trying situation.

"Yeah, Lex. I love the hair!" Shane patted her locks fondly. Of course she would look different, when they had met, she was fifteen. Her hair was perpetually straightened, and never blew into the natural wavy style she benefited from now. After all, just fifteen. It seemed so long ago, now that she would be turning eighteen in just a week. Just a small, young wisp of fifteen experiencing love. Nate wasn't her first boyfriend of course; there was Dean, and Riley. But he was her first real love, though she didn't know it then. But now it was all too late to go change things, wasn't it?

"Oh," Alex warmed up. Acting was always easy. Especially without a director screaming orders in your face. "Yeah, it looks better this way, I think."

"I like this." Nate ignored Shane's presence and played with the few strands of hair that were tinted a dark red. Contrasting against her almost-black curls, it reminded him of the old Alex, the one who played in the pool with him, the one who helped him write melodies, and the one who kissed him oh-so well.

"So…" This game was getting fun, and Alex always liked fun games. "How's Miley?" The conversation was brought to a silent halt, when Alex brought up the name of the girl she had found with Nate.

"We broke up." Nate replied bluntly.

Another awkward silence followed, and Shane soon tried to smoothen it over.

"Who's your friend?" Shane smiled. The very same smile that Nate had.

Except, Alex saw the difference. Shane's was riddled with flirt and Nate's was usually once of adoring love. At least, that's how it was.

"Oh, that's Mitchie."

"I know," Shane's grin just kept growing wider. "She told me like 4 times."

The group laughed, and Alex realized it was her turn to get in front of the camera.

"Oh, got to go. Talk to ya'll a little later." Alex smiled, and waved, walking over to the photographer. He was a familiar photographer, one of the best Disney had. Also one of the very few who understood the Disney 'kids' weren't that little anymore. All in all, he let them work the camera. Perfect, though not necessarily Disney-Worthy.

"Hey, Darlin'." He greeted Alex in the customary way. "Umm, look sweetie, Disney wants you to be a little less… bold for this shoot. Cos' you know, it's for the show and all…"

He broke off, seeing Alex's groan and eye roll.

"C'mon, Lex, just this once?" He pleaded.

Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. She knew he had a family to support, and he needed money desperately. If he kept letting them decide what to do for shoots he could lose his job.

"All right…" She relented, "Don't worry, Paul."

He grinned, and she took her place with the weird props in front of her. "Now what?" Alex surveyed the brightly colored toys, chairs, and various knick-knacks in front of her. "What am I supposed to do with _this_?" She held up a loose, ill-fitting beret of sorts.

"Ah. That would be the hat."

"So…" she hesitated, "I put this on?"

"That's right."

"Oh sheesh." Alex picked up the object, and placing it at a neat angle on her head, flipped a few dark curls over her shoulders, framing her neat face perfectly.

"That's nice. Now… smile!" Paul grinned, and the cameras flashed.

------

"Thank God that's over." Alex muttered, slapping the beret on the floor.

She turned around to a soft chuckle from Paul, and smiled sheepishly.

"Just doing my job, hun." He laughed. "By the way, thanks for the lovely dress that time… my Ellie could not be more grateful."

Alex had a habit of donating her old clothes to Paul's daughter. Young Ellie was thirteen, and her father could not quite grasp what a girl of that age wanted. Without a mother figure, Alex felt a sense of empathy, as she still missed having her parents there for her.

"No problem, Paul. Nice seeing Ellie happy. She's a good girl."

Paul sighed and nodded. "Yes she is."

As Alex walked off, she felt someone tugging on the end of her curls. Expecting it to be Mitchie, she smacked the person's hand.

"Freak, Lex!"

Alex whirled around. That was so not Mitchie. It was… Nate.

_How many more awkward moments can I have with this guy already?_

"Sorry…" She trailed off.

"Listen, Lex. It's nice seeing you again." Nate said.

"You too," She managed, before attempting to walk off.

"Hang on, tiger." Nate grabbed her arm. "I wanted to let you know something."

"What?" Her curiosity caught her, and she turned back around.

"I still love you."

Talk about curiosity killing the cat.

**A/N: Cliffy! Ahaha. I've never been too good at series, so I have a feeling this will be a short series, but we will see. I'm also thinking on working on another series, 10 Dresses, a series of Nalex one-shots. The more reviews, the quicker I write! So review!**


	6. Revenge

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you have been enjoying my story! I expect you guys are going to burst if I didn't continue so… yeah. Keep reading! **

**.go :)**

"_Hang on, tiger." Nate grabbed her arm. "I wanted to let you know something."_

"_What?" Her curiosity caught her, and she turned back around._

"_I still love you."_

_Talk about curiosity killing the cat._

"What?" Alex stammered. "Are you on freaking drugs or something?"

Nate dropped his hand, looking shame-faced.

"I mean…"

Alex could not quite process this yet. First he dates her, then he ditches her, then he loves her again? No, wait… what?

"Look, Lexie. I screwed up. Miley was stalking me, STALKING! It was just to get her off my back. Plus, I would have explained this to you if you had just returned all my calls…"

Now Alex was extremely frustrated. "BY SLEEPING WITH HER? IS THAT HOW YOU GET HER OFF YOUR BACK?" Alex's voice became high as she screamed, almost to the point of being unheard. "You f-"

But before she could tell Nate exactly what she thought of him, Mitchie had thankfully caught her raised hand, and whirled her around, practically dragging her into wardrobe.

"Calm down, Lex. Calm-"

"That asshole! That son of a…" Alex ran out of words, sinking into a pathetic heap in the corner of the small room.

"Alexandra Marguerita Russo, calm down." Mitchie transformed from trusting friend to upset mother. This was déjà vu, and Alex had done the exact same thing when she broke up with Nate. "Can you stop acting like a thirteen-year-old?"

"I'm not acting like a thirteen-year-old." Alex mumbled, though whether that was what she said was clearly indistinguishable, for her head was buried in her folded arms.

"Yes you are. You're freaking out because a guy said he loved you." Mitchie stood, arms akimbo, and pointedly threw a rumpled tee-shirt at her friend.

"You retard, this isn't mine, its guy size." Alex giggled. "All right… maybe I am overreacting."

"Thank you!" Mitchie smiled. "Now, get changed. We need to go record the duet remember?"

"Right." Alex smiled, and picked up her own pair of jeans. Maybe a few hours in the studio would get the unfortunate incident off her mind.

Just then, a little light bulb in her head lit up, and flickered a few times before fizzling out again. _Should I? Oh hell…_

Alex, patting Mitchie on the shoulder, smiled. "I'll meet you outside."

"Sure!" Mitchie called, and waved.

"Hey Shane!" Shane was alone, thank goodness, and Alex ran up to him. "I need to ask you something. Can I meet you at the park tomorrow?"

"Uh… sure." Shane smiled, but not before shooting Alex a look of disbelief. What was this girl up too?

"See you then!" Alex called, and turned on her heels.

Ahh… sweet revenge.

**A/N: This is the shortest chapter ever. I know, I know. I'm working on a huge report for Biology, plus on another big project for fanfiction! I hope more people will review, because I feel super disappointed when you don't. :( **

**It's one of the hardest things in the world to open my inbox and see only 3 reviews. Thanks to LostInTheMusic and Camirae for being so sweet, always. **


	7. What Now?

**Eighteen and Famous**

**Chapter 7. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

"Wait…" Mitchie raised a freshly painted finger into the air. "You're meeting Shane?"

"Yeah." Alex blew on her fingertips.

The two girls were sitting in Alex's living room, doing their nails. Technically Mitchie was doing the nails, and Alex just admiring them, but let's just stick to the above. The room was themed a light pastel pink, almost sickening, if not for the bright clashes of color that would appear randomly in the room. Alex had designed it herself, making sure each room had its own color theme, and attitude. The dining hall was a retro black and white, the living room light earthy colors, and her room, the pink paradise. Pink was definitely not her color, and it was done in a fit of emotion, without a real second thought to it. Now, as much as she would have liked to redo it, she found she didn't have the time, or patience.

"Can you do a heart on this nail?" Alex extended her pointer, and Mitchie took it, uncapping the silver nail-polish bottle.

"But… why?"

"Why?" Alex looked up; her face a light shade of red. "No reason. Just to catch up on old times you know. Not now, Dragon, go away." Alex batted at the eager canine, and laughed when he whined.

"Okay…" Mitchie muttered. "Hold still, fool!" She giggled, as Alex twiddled her fingers, beckoning her to hurry up. As the smooth brush tip glided over her nail, Alex glanced quickly at the light pink clock on the wall. "Oh damn, I'm going to be late."

"Wait." Mitchie gasped. "I mean, it needs to dry."

"Relax; it'll dry on the way." Alex staggered to her feet, and grabbing the milky-white purse on her bed, fumbled across the pink fur carpeting.

"Lex!" Mitchie breathed, and pulled a light blue-and-white striped sweater off the floor, draping it comfortably over Alex's bare shoulders. And since all she had on was a pastel blue camisole and denim capris, the action was greatly welcomed. Except… it wasn't cold that day. It was searing hot, not typical sun kind of hot, but scalding fry-an-egg-on-the-side-walk kind of hot.

"I heard that there's a cold front from… Iowa?" Mitchie tried to explain.

Fortunately, Alex had failed Geography along with all other subjects. This last statement meant nothing to her, as she slipped on a pair of white platform flip-flops. Casual enough, though it would probably be talked about on gossip blogs an hour after sighting. "Don't forget to lock up!" Alex called, and she raced down the steps and across the street to the park.

"Will do!" Mitchie called, as she picked up the apartment keys from the nearby dressing table.

The park was exceptionally sunny. _Crazy Mitchie, _Alex muttered under her breath, cursing the thin, though uncomfortably warm sweater. It would be extremely awkward to take it off, for she had forgotten her bag, and had to cope with the heat, fanning herself daintily while looking for Shane. _Where is that boy?_ It wasn't long before she felt the familiar presence of a shutter, and paparazzi. _Oh great. _

Inching her fingers down her jeans, she slipped her hand quickly into the pocket, fishing out the phone within. She scrolled down the name of contacts. _Sierra, Sam, Shalom, Shane. _She selected the last name on her list, and plastered the white iPhone to her ear. More cameras flashed. _What is so bloody interesting about me making a phone call? _

"Lex." The familiar tone of her contact came through the receiver. "I'm here."

"You are?" Alex puzzled. She knew the park like the back of her hand. Dragon often demanded walks here.

"You did mean the park at Kingston, didn't you?"

"Yes, why?"

_Oh please no. Tell me he didn't get the wrong—_

"Then I'm here. Oh wait. Turn around."

Alex's body did a complete cycle, and spotted the dark figure of the waving friend settled comfortably under the cool shade of a sycamore tree. As she ran over, her cell phone was slipped cozily into her back pocket, and her hair was given a quick swipe out of her face. As she sank down onto the soft grass, she beamed.

"Hey Shane."

"Aha. So you're the gumball who was wearing the sweater when it's mid seventies."

"_Gumball_? Did you talk to Justin recently? And Mitchie made we wear the sweater."

Alex peeled of the now-sticky garment, swinging it at Shane.

"Well, I have not. And your Michelle friend seems, nice."

A small smile played at the corners of Shane's lips. One of humor. Yet, the ever-present serious aura lingered in the air, and the smile soon disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"It's Mitchie."

Alex corrected him.

"My darling Alexandra." Shane ignored Alex's creased brow. "I can call you and your friends any damn thing I want to. Especially if it pisses you off."

"Oh shuttup," Alex blurted, thwacking him lightly on the side of his arm. "You suck."

Shane laughed, and gesturing at the eager reporters, said, "They're going to have a field day."

"Oh screw them." Alex waves her hand in the air, emphasizing the whole _whatever _concept.

"I couldn't."

Alex looked up, confused. "You know you really should get Justin to teach you how to form sentences."

"I'm saying," Shane bats impatiently at his shoulder-length hair. "I couldn't screw them because that would make me gay."

Alex, after deciphering the last sentence, burst out in laughter. "Nice one." She glanced at her watch. "Oh crap, a photo shoot and I'm freaking late!"

Shane got up, pulling Alex to her feet. "Let me drive you there."

"Really?" Alex gasped. "That would be great, thank you."

And they ran off the grass, towards the car park opposite. The cameras? They kept flashing.

----------------

As Shane pulled up in front of the studio, Alex pressed the catch on her seatbelt, and stepping out, shook Shane's hand.

"How can I repay you?"

"Dinner would be nice," Shane joked.

"Okay, then." Alex's face became serious. "Meet me at seven?"

"Seven." Shane was surprised, but could not decline.

"It's a date."

As Alex ran off into the studio, Shane slumped forward in his seat.

Now what?


	8. Flat Little Pasta

**Eighteen And Famous**

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the story line. **

Alex ran into the dim-lit room, her flip flops slapping against the linoleum floor. "Sorry I'm late…" She yelled, as she entered the room.

The photographer, Jane Henderwich approached her, arms folded neatly across her chest. Jane was a very famous photographer, and it was considered a great honor to be photographed professionally by her. As Alex had been punctual with all past appointments, Jane was clearly upset.

"This is not like you Alex, fifteen minutes late! Mitchie was here ages ago!"

Upon hearing her name, Alex cast her eyes swiftly around the room. _There she is. _Mitchie was slouched against the wall, eyes cast to the ceiling.

"We're not going to waste anymore time. Girls, on the couch. Hug!"

Jane barked, sending the friends scuttling towards the set-up in the center of the room.

"Where were you?" Mitchie hissed through a smile. "Got too caught up in Shane?"

"No, but I'm going for dinner with him tonight." Alex was surprised at Mitchie's bitter tone, and hugged her closer as they posed for another shot.

"Dinner?" Mitchie exclaimed, before settling down with a gold satin cushion cast on the floor.

"Yeah, you want to come with?" Alex realized something was up with Mitchie, and decided to be friendlier. _Perhaps she was angry about having to lock up?_

"No, I wouldn't want to ruin your _moment_." Mitchie's tone came across fiercer than before, and the hint of sarcasm behind it was just too much for Alex. Since when did Mitchie get so worked up about small things?

"Way to be a bitch, Mitch." Alex rhymed, jokingly.

"Yeah, fine. Maybe you shouldn't be so selfish too!"

Surprised and upset, the two girls remained in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the shoot.

--------------

"Mitch!" Alex ran after Mitchie as she left the studio. "Why are you pissed at me? Don't get pissed at me…"

Mitchie whirled around. "Alex, you have no idea." Her voice came across hesitantly, and tears were welling in her hazel-brown pupils.

"_You have no idea_." She repeated again, and ran helter-skelter out of the building in her high heeled boots.

_What the freaking hell._

Alex chased after her, only for Mitchie to turn the ignition key just as she caught up.

"Mitch! I'm sorry! Don't be mad!"

"You're not." Mitchie choked out, and drove away.

----------------

_I see your face in my mind as I drive away, _

_Because none of us thought it was going to end that way. _

_People are people, _

_And sometimes we change our minds. _

_But it's killing me to see you go after all this time._

What had she done wrong? For once, Alex didn't know. It was six thirty, and Shane would be there in half an hour. She would at least to be able to speak to someone about all this drama. The person would usually have been Mitchie, but since Mitchie pretty much was the cause of this drama, Alex needed an alternative.

Shane. Shane was perfect.

And the meeting was perfect. _Thank you paparazzi_. Nothing too serious of course, she didn't even like him. No kissing, no drinking, and _no flirting_.

Just enough- a simple meeting at a park- to send the paparazzi crazy.

OceansUp and Just Garrett better pay attention.

And now there was dinner. No big deal.

In fact, the paparazzi better not be there. She wasn't too into this whole revenge thing. She knew Nate would piss himself the minute he knew about the park meeting anyway. _No need to waste my time. _

She opened up her far-from glamorous closet. There was the nail-polish remover stain from when she and Mitchie were dancing along to Single Ladies and pouring a whole bottle of the liquid onto the floor, there were her various pairs of shoes cluttered along at the bottom, and her different clothes stacked up against one another, some crumpled, others not.

She spotted a Mackenzie Falls-ish pleated gray skirt, and pulled it out, measuring it gently against her slender hips. It was probably Mitchie's but it was no harm using it just this once. She unraveled a crumpled off-shoulder white sweater, and slipped it on over her original white camisole. Buttoning the two brown buttons at the shoulder area, she yanked out her love-worn pair of caramel Uggs from the bottom of a pile of boots.

Checking herself out in her vanity mirror one last time, she picked up the forgotten off-white tote lying on her bed. She expected him to get the tab, though she wasn't sure. It was her idea after all, to pay him back for the car ride in the afternoon.

As Alex ran the hot tongs of her straightener across the tips of her curls, the doorbell rang, beckoning her to place the object on the table, and to open the door.

"Glad to see you're ready." Shane laughed at her half-straightened hair. "Leave it, I made a reservation and we're going to be late."

"I can't go out like this!" Alex was outraged. "I look like Amy Wine house!"

"Walls have ears," Shane raised his eyebrows, just like how Nate would have done it. _Oh please don't think about Nate. Not now. _

"She's in rehab." Alex pooh-pooed his idiom quoting.

"Shhh," Shane placed a finger to his lips, shoulders shaking from laughter. "Seriously, leave it."

"Whatever. And I need to do this. Just give me a minute."

"Alex, seriously. It'll take more than a minute. I should know." Shane ran his fingers over his poker-straight hair.

"Fine," Alex relented. "But if I get made fun of on gossip blogs it's _your_ fault." She placed the straightener down, and picked up her bag.

"In your famous words, darling… screw them." Shane chuckled, and ducked a blow to the shoulder.

"I couldn't, I have a promise ring!" Alex broke into hysterics, lifting up her right hand, the silver ring proudly emblazoned there.

As they laughed and collapsed onto the carpet, Shane heaved a sigh of relief, the kind you heave after a good laughing fit, and took Alex's hand. "The limo is waiting."

"Right." Alex picked up a dark red elastic band and pulling her hair into it, snapped it shut. "Do I look better?"

"No, you look hideous." Shane was bored, and started tugging on her skirt, pulling her out of the house, dodging a hyperactive Dragon.

"Perv." Alex slapped his fingers off her skirt, and followed him outside, linking arms.

----------------

"Oh gosh." Alex gazed in awe out of the tinted limo windows at the posh restaurant.

"What?" Shane popped a diet Red Bull out of the built-in cooler. "Want one?"

"When I said dinner, I meant like Pizza Hut or The Golden Arches."

Alex muttered under her breath, hoping Shane wouldn't throw a diva-fit.

"And have two million paparazzi there? No thank you. This place is exclusive, celebs only." Shane clicked open the car doors, and stepped out. Surprisingly, his body guard didn't follow.

"So… no paps?" Alex gasped.

"Nope." Shane smirked. "But you're paying."

"I figured," Alex was resigned to it.

"Kidding!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Way mature, Shane."

"Thank you, Alexandra. Now go in." He pushed the glass door open, and they stepped in, a cool gush of air meeting them.

_Oh my freak. That's Hayley Williams! _

Alex's mouth was wide open as she saw her Paramore idol. Turning around, she noticed even more celebs and their sweethearts.

_Emma Watson and her unnamed Australian beau._

_Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron._

_Ashley Tisdale and…_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Shane approached a screwed-up looking waiter.

"Reservation. Gray."

The waiter silently gestured them towards a small closed off room, which was separated from the romantic hubbub by a translucent paper-mache door.

"Thought it would be easier to eat without all of them sucking face." Shane explained, opening the menu. "Now little Alex, fettuccini means flat little pasta…"

"I passed sophomore English, Shane." Alex's eyes didn't stray from the menu. "Actually, I think I will take the 'flat little pasta.'"

Laughing at her infamous wit, Shane took the menu from her.

"So. Is this going to become a regular thing Miss Russo?"

_Oh my gosh. _

This was better than she expected. Screw Nate. He was going to _pay_.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

**A/N: I think I am going to get a few people trashing Alex. Oh well, hope you liked this chapter! Keep reviewing! They really make my day!**

**Plus: My newest Nalex one-shot Weak. Please do R&R!**


	9. Empty

**Eighteen and Famous**

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. **

The beeping sound of the small alarm clock next to her bed was what woke Alex up first. The second was Dragon. Brushing both off, she settled deeper into her deep pink comforter, messy hair framing her face perfectly. Her dresser shook, and she jumped up, slamming her hand down on it. Picking it up sleepily, she rubbed the corners of her eyes, blinking repetitively as she pressed the iPhone against her ear. "I'm sick." She excused herself, as she heard her manager's voice.

"Miss Torres is waiting for you to record, Miss Russo. And you have the cover shoot with Glamour Girl later, plus some more promo shoots…" He droned on, and she started to feel her eyes shutting again.

"John, I'm sick, damnit. Tell them I will get it done on Sunday. And I will record separately, Mitch will be happier anyway." Sunday was a free day for Alex, but she decided to sacrifice it anyway. What was she supposed to do anyway? Stay at home and read fan-mail like she always did? Dragon needed a walk, and she needed a cappuccino. Just, not now.

"Miss Russo…" John continued, but she had already put down the phone. She collapsed back into her bed. She had stayed up till midnight with Shane, just talking and laughing. Today was good to rewind, and just kick back. Watch some reruns, stay in her pajamas till noon. _Watch my glamorous life unfold._

She felt the soft tail of Dragon beat against her bed, and she reached out, mussing up his fur. "I'll give you a walkie later, don't worry," she said, and fell asleep once again.

-----------------

_How can I decide what's right_

_When you're clouding up my mind _

_I can't win your losing fight all the time._

Paramore filled the small room, bouncing off the four walls, and she picked up her cell phone once again. "What?" She demanded sleepily, as a familiar male voice muttered angrily into the receiver. "What?" She asked again, sitting up right. The caller ID read simply 'Shane". She thought she knew what was going on.

"Shane Gray, if you are prank calling me I am going to…"

"Relax." Shane stopped muttering and spoke up. "Sorry, was speaking to someone else."

"Why are you calling, Shane? It's the middle of the night." Alex was grouchy, and she showed it.

"No its not, you want to think it is to make yourself feel better. It's ten thirty and they want you at the studio to do a photo shoot."

"I'm having a hang over." Alex lied, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Yeah right," He laughed sarcastically. "You didn't touch a single drop of alcohol last night. Now get your ass over here."

"No. No. No." Alex repeated, knocking her head against the wooden headboard. "I'm not getting out of bed." She hung up, and pulled the blankets over her again, falling into deep, deep slumber.

-----------------

"Open the door, Alex!" Rudely awakened _once again_ by the loud thumping on her door, Alex reached for her fluffy pink robe, and pulling it over her tank top and shorts, reached for the door handle. "Gah!" Alex gasped as her surprise guest pushed her into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Hi." Shane said. "Now, you tell me nicely why you're _sick_ today." Making air quotes at 'sick', he kicked away her jeans lying limply on the floor. "Ew."

"I don't want to get up, I have fan mail to read, and Dragon needs a walk. Good enough?" Alex rolled her eyes, pushing him to the door.

"Don't you think it would be weird if people saw you going out when you were 'sick'? And wouldn't Mitchie be waiting for you?" Shane pushed back, and being stronger, won.

"We're having a fight." Alex stated, and fell back on her bed again, pulling the covers over her chin. "Go away."

"What fight?" Shane's bushy eyebrows creased, and his smile disappeared instantaneously.

"Like the only fight we've had in 4 years!" Alex exclaimed, pulling the duvet up further, covering her closed eyes. With a soft sigh, she settled down again, not caring where her curls rumpled and fell out of control. "Now you've had your fun, please leave me alone."

"No." Shane answered, pulling her gently out of bed. "You're getting up, and going out with me to _one_ photo shoot, then you can record on Sunday if you insist."

Alex felt herself being yanked upright, and she yawned, getting up, eyes tiny slits. "Fine. But just one. Promise?" She opened her wardrobe, pulling out the first thing she saw.

"Promise." Shane held out his last finger, in their childhood gesture. "And those pants don't match."

As Alex hooked her finger around his, she looked at her selected outfit for the first time. "Oh." Shane was right, teal blue skinny jeans and a red tank top definitely did not match. She replaced the red article with a black one, and after a second of consideration towards her celebrity, wrung a light blue scarf around her wrist. "There's coffee in the pantry, boyfriend." She hollered, knowing Shane would have her favorite beverage on the table by the time she returned.

----------------

"Thanks." Alex slid into the seat Shane pulled out for her. Grasping the hot mug, she blew anxiously on the rising steam, which blew into the cold air conditioning. Wrapping her scarf further around her bare shoulders, and took slow, hesitant sips of her caffineated drink. "I guess we should get going?" She smiled sheepishly at her now-boyfriend. She gulps down the remainder of her drink.

"That would be good." Shane smiles, and pushes back his chair. "It's a good thing there are a row of taxi's downstairs waiting for you to come down."

Alex grimaced, and laced her pair of black Converse shoes. Taking his hand, they entered the lift.

----------------

They had gotten a taxi in no time. They practically were pushed into one, in fact. Simply because they were who they were, the whole road had let way for them to pass through, making the 20 minute ride a 5 minute one. Of course they never thought this extraordinary or unbelievable. It happened every day. It was strange at first, definitely, but now, it was just normal. _Time to redefine normal, don't you think?_

Now as Alex thought about Mitchie and the current best-friend spat. It was something different, something colder about Mitchie. She couldn't remember their last fight, that was how long ago it was, but she never knew a Mitchie quite as cold and bitter as this one. _Odd, isn't it? _She hadn't done anything to offend her, nothing that she knew of anyway, and she would be more than happy to get back together and be best friends again. So why was Mitchie just so… Alex couldn't even find the word. Speechless, and rather thoughtless, she felt the taxi draw to a halt.

----------------

The next few minutes were a blur. Shane had paid, and they had gotten off. Anything else, she did not process. Thoughts were racing too quickly through her mind, and it seemed to cloud over everything else. Alex had never been so oblivious to her surroundings before, worrying a very protective Shane.

"Lex?" He shook her, waking her up from the thoughts that had temporarily swallowed her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She seemed to manage to find a word to say, and smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm fine. Don't worry." _Lying, Liar. Ass on fire. _Her own mind was taunting her again, knowing just when to bring her down. She was her own weakness, though she really had nothing to fear. Now as she took Shane's arm and walked into the quiet room, she realized something was very wrong. There was no one there. The room was empty.

Absolutely empty.

**A/N: I have no idea what will go on from here! I have a rough idea, but nothing definite yet. You see, I tend to not plan my stories. They need to take place in their own world, not be forced by me. I realize this is very bad. But it's how I write, or my whole plot seems cliché. **

**People I need to thank: **

**My wonderful Beta, xScribbles819**

**My lovely reviewers, who are reviewing my story, thank you so much!**

**PS: Scribbles,( her not me, you can all call me Erin.) gave me the idea of not centering my text. I have drabble-complexes. I'm sorry if my text made you feel gross. Ok! This AN is far too long. See you, and R&R!**


	10. All You Can Do

**Eighteen And Famous**

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, though Nate Gray would be nice.**

"Is there no one here?" Shane called out, eyes wide. The dark was eerie, and Alex tightened her grasp on his arm. His question echoed through the empty hall, darkness repeating his lines. Footsteps approached. Cold, heavy, footsteps. Clutching Shane's arm desperately, she moved nearer to him. "Who's that?"

The darkness suddenly ceased with a loud click, and light filled the room. Noticing exactly how close she was to Shane, she released his hand, and jumped away from him. The footsteps neared, and a slim figure appeared from the light switches. The lady was young, about 30, with a think blond highlight in her hazel-colored hair. Her boring black office skirt was pulled back at her stomach with a silver belt. With a matching top, paired with a pair of dark blue flats, she looked just like the scary director-from-hell she was. "We closed for the day. Some trouble with lighting. I tried contacting both of you but your phones were engaged." Her eyes narrowed angrily, summing up the situation. "Still, I should have guessed. What with the continuous gossip reports and hysterical paparazzi out the back. Too busy making out to check your phones?" And being the insane woman she was, she walked out silently – with a smile on her face, Alex was sure.

"Bitch." Alex hissed across the quiet room, causing their director to stop, but deciding against it, carry on walking again. Her hand was raised in the air, fingers pointing in the universal 'I've won' sign. _Whatever. _ Alex rolled her eyes. _She is so not worth my time. _

------------------------

"What did the Hillary From Hell say about gossip blogs though?" Shane got into a taxi with Alex just five minutes after they had left it. "Go, go check OceansUp or something like that."

Alex felt in her hand for her iPhone… then… "Oh. My. Gosh." She held up the broken phone missing its battery. "Someone screwed my phone!" From the front the small white object still looked normal, but on the back it was obvious someone had tampered with it. "I have like a million stuff I need in there!" she exclaimed, smacking her forehead. "Who would have done this?"

Amidst her exclamations, the vehicle pulled over at her apartment. "Come on, let's get in and fix that thing." He ignored her angry stares, and pulled her in.

------------------------

"Fortunately…" Shane typed some digits into his phone. "I have connections that can fix your phone and trace back all your data." He stared at the phone for a while, before it buzzed a reply. "They can fix it; I will get Jacob to send bring it over." Shane took her phone, and opening the door, gave it to the waiting chauffer.

"I don't understand though," Alex was still puzzled, and her feelings started to build up. "Who could hate me so much?" Tears were coming and she rubbed at her eyes gently.

"Hey," Shane went over, wrapping his well-worked out arms around her small figure. "You'll be okay, we celebs need to get used to it."

"Wait." Alex pushed away his hand. "You think this was a work of the paparazzi?"

"Of course, it's easy to slip they're hand in your bag and do whatever when others are crowding around attempting to take a photo of you." Shane rolled his eyes boyishly, making the answer seem more obvious than not.

"You don't think it was another celeb? I mean, my bag is always with me in the shooting or recording rooms and I haven't been using it so –"

Shane interrupted her kindly, attempting to smile. "We don't want to think that, do we, Lex?"

She nodded in silent consent. Neither of them wanted to think that one of their 'friends' would possibly do such a thing to her. It was a great possibility, but something that they wouldn't consider. _Why does it always seem that way?_

"Look, hey," Shane gave her a light kiss on the cheek. Do you want to go out tonight? Not the top secret place. Promise."

Knowing he was trying his best to make her feel better, Alex smiled, and returned the kiss. "All right. Now I should probably check OceansUp." She patted his soft waves and retreated to her white Macintosh.

**Shalex? Russo Revenge. **

**Our reporters spotted the hot young couple at Central Park yesterday. Shane Gray, brother of Russo's ex-boyfriend Nate…..**

"Well." Not wanting to read more, Alex snapped the cover of her laptop down, sighing. "That was disturbing. They have a whole two-page article on us." She shut her eyes uncertainly, and gently placed the white machine down on her dresser. "I need a coffee."

"I thought Disney girls didn't need caffeine?" Shane laughed, and snapped a quick look at his phone. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Alex playfully snatched the phone from Shane, and read the short, though definitely not sweet text: "**Shane, double date. U and Lex, Me and Mitch. Tonite. No go backs. –N." **Her mouth fell open in the cliché gesture, and she silently handed the phone back to him. "I'm not going," she managed to reply, and then fell back into speechlessness.

"Lex," Shane started. "No go backs," he quoted. "If I miss Nate's going to rub it in my face forever. You know him."

"Of course I know him Shane, that's why I wasn't surprised when he started going out with Hannah Slutana." She collapsed into a nearby beanbag. "You just make something up for me, like I got into a wreck or something."

"Funny." Shane sat down next to her. "I don't believe I've seen you in any wreckage recently." He looked worried, before bursting out in laughter at his fluent command of sarcasm. "I'm sorry, I swear…" He dodged Alex's swipes, and headed to the pantry for another caffeine shot for the two of them. "Latte?"

"Cappuccino, two Sweet N Low's." Alex rolled her eyes. "I thought you would know my coffee by now, Shane."

"What coffee?" He threw her a packet of instant mix, before taking it back under her steely frown. "All right… all right… cappuccino. Psychotic girlfriend you are…" He retreated back into the kitchen, and laughed. _Sometimes that's all you can do. _

"And you're still coming, like it or not."

**A/N: I know you're dying for the date and all that, but sorry because I need to go study right now, and I like keeping my poor darling readers in suspense. Cheerios!**

**Thanks to:**

**Hayley, my wonderful beta.**

**You wonderful readers and reviewers! No matter how little or short your reviews are it always makes me smile. After all, I write because I love to. Thank you for your encouragement and criticism, it's making me write better every day.**

**Love, **

**Erin.**


	11. Not Even There

**Eighteen and Famous**

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

"Do I have to?" Alex whined, lying awkwardly on her carpet. She had finished her second shot of coffee for that day, and was negotiating with Shane. "I really think I don't need to go."

"Yes you do." Shane pulled her up. "And why are you lying on the floor anyway? You have a perfectly good bed two centimeters away."

"I like it…" Alex sat up, ignoring her hair bunched up behind her head. "Do it with me, it's awesome."

"Seriously, Lex?" Shane rolled his eyes. "You're a legal adult and you're making carpet angels?"

"Carpet angels." It was Alex's turn to turn her eyes in his direction. "Where did you hear that from?"

"Umm. Just a show."

"Ok…" Alex stood up, feeling uncomfortable being so near to him. "But I need to answer some fan mail and autograph headshots and blah blah blah…" She groaned unhappily. "Can you walk Dragon?" She glanced at him beseechingly, doing her infamous puppy-dog face.

"All right…" Shane relented, picking up the red leash hanging on a hook over her wooden bed post. "I'll walk the dumb dog."

"He's so not dumb!" Alex laughed, and settled down on her bed, logging into her email. "Bye Dragon, don't let Shane bully you!" She twiddled her slim fingers at the bewildered beagle, and submerged herself in a cacophony of emails.

----------------------------------------

Alex sighed. Shane was back in less than an hour, and insisted she get ready for the double date _at that instant. _

"It's on the other side of town and we don't want to be late. Now go put on something nice."

Alex reappeared in her black skinny jeans and vintage AC/DC tee.

"No." Shane insisted. "You go put on something nice now, or _I'm_ going to have to change you."

After a quick 'Ew', Alex returned to the bathroom at the back of the house, and slipped on an oversized gray top with black detailing on the front. Fixing the sleeves so they would fall off her shoulders, she adjusted the black sash she tied at her waist, slouching the top just so. As the top ended just at her thighs, she decided against baring it all for the tabloids and instead pulled on her black leggings that came all the way down to her ankles. Stopping at her vanity table to wind a black beaded necklace around her arm multiple times for an illusion of bracelets, she called for Shane. "Better?"

He appeared from the kitchen, looking pleased. "Much better."

Satisfied, Alex pushed her dark curls into a loose up do, and fastened the silver catch of a pendant around her neck. Just her black Jimmy Choo boots and she was ready, making sure she had her metallic clutch wound tightly around two fingers and her leggings didn't come out from where she had tucked them into her Jimmy's. "Then let's go!"

----------------------------------------

_No this is not awkward at all. _Alex leaned against the cool white tiles of the hotel. This was where they had decided to have dinner and already things had gone wrong. Mitchie had appeared in a skin-tight black and gold dress with matching pumps, and Nate… _Nate, Nate Nate. _ Nate was too beautiful for words. Shane had appeared in his black shirt and tie, while Nate was suddenly the daring one, in a light pink shirt with the collar slightly unbuttoned to add to the ruggedness of his new short curls. _He gets a new haircut, you fall back in love. _

The awkward silence over the table was too much to bear, and Alex soon retreated to the bathroom without saying anything to Nate, or anyone else, as the conversation between Mitchie and Nate the new happy couple.

_Whatever. I just need to calm down. _Alex ran her hands through her dark hair, removing whatever curls had fell over her face, and splashed cool water against her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh! You're Alex Russo! I love you!" The stall door behind Alex clanged, hysterical screaming from an obsessed fan followed. Alex smiled and offered to sign a paper towel. _Anything to keep myself busy…_The autograph session ended quicker then she would have liked, leaving the fan to dash out the door and call all her friends, yelling jubilant phrases at the top of her lungs. _All right, Alex, just calm down and return. _She dabbed at her face with a hand-towel, and let her hair fall back into their unruly waves. Turning on her heels, she sucked in her breath, and exited the bathroom.

----------------------------------------

"Natey…" Mitchie crooned, running a dark nail over Nate's arm. "What are you having?" Despite all silent stares from Alex, Mitchie had continued to fawn over Nate. _Ex boyfriends are off-limits! That's like the rules of feminism! _Alex bit her tongue and unsheathed the thin papyrus-like menu from its dark green cover.

"I'm having the chicken." Alex interrupted suddenly, slamming the menu shut. The slapping sound caused a few heads to turn, provoking the four young stars to hide behind their menus, chairs, and the tablecloth. _Amazing how tying your shoe can save you a swish of your Sharpie. _

"Right." Nate replied quickly, sitting up again. "I'll have that too. What about you, Mitch?"

_Nate never has chicken, he hates it! _Alex wanted to exclaim, before realizing the inappropriate moment to make comments similar to that one. Thoughts hurriedly ran through her head, blocking out Mitchie's order. _Is he implying something? Is that why he had the chicken too? Oh shut up, Alex, you're over reacting! _Alex's brain was right. She was over reacting. Just because Nate ordered chicken did not mean he was still into her. She knew he was still into her, he had said so. But it was something no one brought up, so it remained unspoken.

"I'm having the steak." Shane and Mitchie agreed on their orders, and waved the waiter away. "Umm… So what do you have planned, Mitchie?" Shane attempted to start conversation.

"Second album and summer tour." Mitchie smiled. "What about you guys?" She replied, speaking directly to Shane.

"Well, we've got our fourth album which we're really excited for, and we're talking about a winter tour." Shane replied, nodding at an equally-excited Nate.

"You, Lex?" Nate asked, leaning against the back of the chair.

_Oh gosh. Oh gosh. _"The album and our show." Alex's voice shook and she hid her clammy palms under the table cloth. "Yeah, it's not really a busy year."

"Come on, Lex. How about your fashion label?" Shane nudged her shoulder gently.

"Well, that's still not set in stone yet. What about yours?" Alex, nervous and scared, decided to change the subject, directing the question at Shane.

"Yeah, it's coming out in autumn, The Shane Gray autumn collection!" Shane laughed, making exaggerated gestures with his hands.

The three laughed uncomfortably, and Alex decided to check in her clutch for her phone which had been returned swiftly by a very helpful Jacob. It was in perfect condition, fortunately, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Nothing else seemed out of place and she was glad to relax into her chair and listen to the conversation. _Okay, maybe I can survive one date, _Alex thought.

The food arrived, and they soon engulfed themselves in the food, not one saying a word till the date ended.

"Bye guys." Shane waved at Mitchie and Nate, wrapping his arm around Alex's waist.

"Yeah, bye." Alex managed to wave, and smile.

----------------------------------------

After Shane left, all Alex did was cry. She had stripped herself of her top and leggings, and lay on her bed in her pajamas. A strip of lighting cut through the sky. _Weather to match my mood. _She sniffed, picking up her satin dressing gown, and stepping out into the small balcony. Rain fell heavily down, seeping through her thin camisole and shorts. She leaned against the metal railings, enjoying the feeling of cold water beating down on her skin. She stepped back, and sat down on the white deckchair she kept for private sun-tanning. The rain continued beating… beating... beating…

Nate steps in, a smirk playing on his lips. "So you admit you lost?"

"Never." Alex stands up, enveloping her mouth over his. He pushes her against the wall, both of them struggling for the upper hand. Her dress is getting wetter by the moment; his shirt is now soaking, his hair falling slickly against his cheeks by the heavy rain. Hands roam over her face, tangling in her hair…

Thunder crashes. Alex wakes up. _Another flashback. _She hurries back into the house, peeling off her wet garments. _How can some one ruin your life when he's not even there?_

**A/N: Wasn't that deep? I was hoping I would get you a little confused by the flash back there. By not making it a 'dream', shows how vivid these flash backs are to Alex! Ha-ha. Hope you liked it! Thank you for reviewing and alerting! Keep telling me what you think of each chapter all right?**

**Special thanks to:**

**Hayley, for her wonderful Beta skills!**

**bluebubble112****, you reviewed like 5 freaking times! Thank you so much!**


	12. The Way I Loved You

**Eighteen and Famous**

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

It was morning.

A sad, pathetic morning where Alex had to drag her sorry ass out of bed and go to work. The flashback the night before had been ruthlessly recurring in her head. Everything was so vivid, so clear, like it had just happened. _Her dress, his hair, the rain_. She could have drowned herself in Starbucks right there and then, but she knew that they were shooting only photo shoots today due to the (_Thank God) _screw up with the lighting. Just some photo shoots with freaking Tiger Beat, and maybe, if she could bring herself to, an hour of recording studio. _Umm. No._

And for some reason, she was happy that she was not seeing Nate or Shane that day. They had a band meeting who knows where, and Alex felt glad for the breathing space. She opened her cupboard door, pulling out the first thing that matched. Her yellow vintage tee, skinny jeans, and a cropped black vest. Because she was lazy to look for some socks, she slipped on her red pumps, and grabbing her Forever21 black tote, left the house.

---------------------------------

"Oh my gosh!" She screamed, slamming the limo door shut. "First my phone, now my BlackBerry?" Her driver turned around slightly, before starting the vehicle.

"Any problem, Miss Russo?"

"No problem, thank you." She faked a smile, though she ran her hands over the broken BlackBerry, thumb sliding into the dent where the battery was missing. Once again, her device was broken, almost pettily—not enough to cause serious damage, but enough to piss her off—and Alex was getting more annoyed by each lame incident. _Immature kid. _She lamented, deciding to pass her broken device to Shane who would, as she knew so well, have it fixed before dinner.

Before the limo pulled up, she had deliberated a fool-proof keep-the-crazy-fan-away theory. She would leave a bunch of signed headshots in her bag, and a small note telling them to Keep Away From Her Stuff or Die Bitches. _Not too mean, right? _

"Hey." She greeted the photographer, smiling overly-sweetly. "Uh. Do I need to change?"

"Yeah…" The photographer glanced up from her camera for a moment, "Change your shoes, and straighten your hair."

"Umm."

"And make up is to the right!" The photographer fiddled with some buttons on her camera, then turned to her secretary, and snapped for a latte.

"All right?" Alex rolled her eyes, and moved to hair and makeup.

_They never let_ _me keep my hair curly. It's like they want me to be sixteen again. _

-----------------

Feeling the heat pressed against her curls, she flinched, continually unused to the sensation. She had already been forced into some weird yellow flats and 'natural' makeup.

_If natural means layers of gook on your eyelids. _

"You okay, sweetie?" the hairstylist, a plump, middle aged woman asked, patting her tresses. "You're done, go on in."

"Thanks." Alex slid off her seat, almost slipping on the newly-glossed floor.

She tapped her feet to an unheard beat, and ran quickly to where the photographer was still trying to get something done on her camera; the only difference was the ice-cold coffee in her hand.

"Yeah, Allie, is it?"

_This one doesn't even know my name._

"Alex."

"Whatever. Just get on that chair." The photographer, pointed to the wooden bench that sat in front of a green screen.

_So they're going to put me in freaking Timbuktu or what? _

"Smile!" The photographer grimaced in mock enthusiasm, and pressed the button. Snap.

-----------------

Snap. Snap. Snap. _Friggin Paparazzi. _The cameras snapped, questions thrown furiously at her.

"Hey Alex, smile."

"Hey Alex, are you dating Shane Gray?"  
"Alex, is it true you are married to Nate in England and have three children?"

_Sure, sure I am. _

-----------------

Alex slapped down her tote on her bed, glad to be home. Dragon ran over, and pulling of her shoes, got her the newspaper that had lain outside her door since the morning.

"Thanks puppy."

He squealed a reply, and ran off to find more things to destroy.

Alex smiled, for the first time that day, genuinely, and got out her guitar, and turning on her chunky apple laptop, making sure the webcam was on.

"Hey guys!" She grinned animatedly. "This is my new song; tell me what you guys think okay? I wrote it last night. And no, it's not about anyone famous." _Lie, lie, lie._

_He is sensible and so incredible__  
__And all my single friends are jealous__  
__He says everything I need to hear and it's like__  
__I couldn't ask for anything better__  
__He opens up my door and I get into his car__  
__And he says you look beautiful tonight__  
__And I feel perfectly fine_

_But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain__  
__And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name__  
__You're so in love that you act insane__  
__And that's the way I loved you_

------------------------------------------

**Hey guys! I wrote this quickly for you guys so I can go out now. Keep reviewing and plenty of thanks to all you reviewers!**

**Special thanks to: **

**Hayley, you are truly awesome. **

**Camirae, who has given me so much support as a new writer on this site**

**.Xo, for reviewing so much!**

**amazcyn, for being so sweet and reviewing such nice comments!**

**bluebubble112, for just being AWESOME. **

**And I would just like to BESEECH everyone to watch the Paranoid MV RIGHT THIS INSTANT. Okay. Real long authors note, thanks again!**

**PS: Sorry for the Chapter's short-ness **

**~Erin**


	13. Confessions and Frozen Yoghurt

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

One million, seven hundred and ninety four views.

In the first live hour of her uploaded video, that was the number of views Alex had received. She scrolled down to the comment section, slowly deleting any spam about a girl named Sally Ruse murdered in 1984. Then she came to one comment that made her stop.

'Did this girl date Nate Gray or what?'

She sighed, clicked reply, and simply typed. 'I did not date Nate Gray. We are very good friends and he and his brothers are great guys. Please stop all speculations on my love life.'

It was what she was told to write, as much as she wanted to cry and admit it to the public, acquiring all the sympathy she could get from her beloved fans. She didn't understand exactly _why_ Hannah Montana could have publicized _her_ relationship with Nate, and she couldn't. She didn't like that people called her and Nate a one-night stand, when _she_ had dated him longer. She didn't like that she was the one who had to keep up the good little church girl impression that Disney wanted, while Hannah could run around in skirts _this_ short with boyfriends _this_ old. It was –putting it simply- unfair. And now, as Disney Moment it seemed, she could not help but feel guilty to what she was doing to Shane. He was just playing him, and the word that her dad always used when he was mad at her for making out with Nate in the street popped up in her mind several times as she cleared her mail. _I'm not a tease. Am I? _

She slapped her laptop close, and took out her broken blackberry. Fortunately her iPhone had already been fixed by Shane, and she slipped it out of her tote instead, logging onto twitter. 'Life is unfair.' She typed slowly, knowing it would be on OceansUp the next day. _Alex Russo says life is unfair OMG!!!!_

She placed her broken Blackberry on her vanity, falling back onto her pale pink sheets. Her tee shirt rubbed gently against her cheek and her eyes fluttered close as she basked in the warm sunlight. She was about to fall asleep when someone knocked sharply at her door. "Yes?" She asked cautiously. She was too lazy to get off her bed, yet she didn't want to simply say come in, lest it was a crazy fan or stalker.

"It's a stalker." Shane said, and chuckled. "No seriously, it's just me. Let me in."

"The door isn't locked." She called, snuggling under the covers, before yelping unhappily when Shane pulled the off her.

"Not very smart to leave the door open," He scolded. "I could be some rapist for all you know with a gun."

"But you're not." She snapped back, before realizing that she still needed him to fix her BlackBerry. "Someone messed with my BlackBerry."

"Who?" Shane tugged at his faded maroon-colored shirt.

"How would I know?" She rolled her eyes. "The important thing is can you help me get it fixed?"

"Probably. I'll just pass it to someone again." He shrugged and slipped the device off her table.

"Thanks."

"Do you want to head to PinkBerry?"

"Sure." She smiled for the first time that day, getting off her bed, smoothing her sheets down. "I should change, before I start a fashion incident."

Shane nodded, as Alex, reached into her wardrobe, pulling out her new royal blue Forever 21 cardigan and the classic lace-trimmed tank top. Paired with the pair of dark-rinse skinnies she pulled off the floor, and her BCBG tan flats, she looked fresh-faced and undeniably gorgeous. _Too bad I feel the exact opposite. _

She flipped her curls into a loose bun, and holding them in place with a bunch of black pins, slipped her iPhone into her pocket. Deciding against bringing her tote –she never knew whether the device wrecker would show up again- she took Shane's hand and pulling him out of the house, slammed the door.

"Nice sweater." Shane commented as they got into the first of the three taxis that had made several illegal turns to stop in front of her apartment building.

"Thanks. I got it from the Forever 21 shoot." She sighed and hugged his arm. "Shane, would you hate me if I tell you something?"

"Why would I hate you, Lex? You probably can't do anything worse to me than what you did when you first started dating Nate."

"Oh right. The toilet paper." Alex laughed, and then stopped, allowing a frown to overcome her pretty features. "Seriously, Shane you will hate me."

The car had stopped, and Shane, slipped the driver a wad of notes, and slammed the door. "What can you do to make me hate you after the toilet paper incident?"

"Let's sit down first." Alex proceeded to bat away approaching paparazzi, obviously on a tip off from the cab driver. She didn't want her sad confession to appear in magazines and gossip blogs.

"Sure." Shane looked confused, and pulled her into PinkBerry as quick as possible, closing the glass doors on the now-plentiful paparazzi. He guided her into some colorful seats, and signed some autographs in the progress. "Now. Do you want to get an iced tea?" Two cold iced teas appeared on their table seconds after.

"Times when I actually like being a celebrity." Alex joked, and then pulled Shane down towards her, hearing the gasps of excited paparazzi. "Shane, you're a great guy…" She started, blushing uncontrollably before Shane cut her off.

"But you're only dating me to piss off Nate?"

"Well, yes." Alex was surprised and straightened up. "How did you-"

Shane cut her off again, laughing. "I knew dating me was some evil genius plan. You could never date someone who had pulled such a cruel trick as the Toilet Paper Incident before. I was just humoring you, really."

"Sorry." Alex's head drooped. "I just got kind of freaked after Nate told me he loved me and all that shit." She covered her mouth immediately after cursing; knowing John would lecture her on her Public Image if he got wind of it.

"Chill, Lex. They are probably waiting for Jessica Alba or someone like that." He tilted his head towards the glass doors, allowing Alex to notice they were not even looking at her.

Alex heaved a sigh of relief, and took a sip of her ice-cold drink. "Thank God. John would be all over me with his lectures if it got out."

"Don't change the subject Lex. Nate does love you. I can see it in his eyes when he talks about you, I can see it when you reject him and he sits silently in his room for hours on end. Nate _loves_ you, Alex, as much as it scares you."

"Shane, I can't process this right now okay? Besides, isn't he going out with Mitchie?"

"No!" Shane suddenly banged the table angrily, causing Alex to grab at their drinks. "He doesn't _like_ her."

"Okay, calm down. Sheesh, just asking."

"Uh-oh." Shane dropped his drink back down on his table.

Alex looked up, and in unison with Shane, exclaimed. "Shit, no."

**A/N: Ha-ha. Cliffy! I'm off to Brighton for two weeks, so your next chapter (yes, I'm awfully cruel) should be due sometime in July. Moving on to avoid angry protests…**

**Thanks to:  
Every single reviewer however brief or terse your reviews are, you make my day. Imagine, me smiling deliriously after opening up my inbox. You guys are awesome. All my love to ya'll. **

**Special Thanks to: **

**1. Hayley, for your fantastical work :) **

**2. .Xo, for reviewing **_**nine**_** times.**

**3. amazcyn, for making me laugh at your reviews. You have a way with words, girl!**

**And once again, all of **_**you guys**_**!**

**Hugs, **

**Rin. **


	14. Scream

**Chapter 14**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

"What?" Shane looked over his shoulder. "I don't see… oh shit." He trailed off, then hunched down, covering his face with his large hands. "_Awkward_." He squeaked.

"Do they know we're here?" Alex pulled her hair out of its bun, and slipped on her oversized pair of white Ray-Bans. "I can't be seen with _them_ now!"

"Oh wait. It's okay." Shane sat up straight again. "They're sitting across the aisle. Nate's on the right. _Mitchie_. Uhh, Mitchie is on the left. They probably haven't seen us."

"Just lie low. You don't want to arouse any suspicio-" Alex's packet of iced tea came crashing to the ground, along with her frozen yoghurt. "Well isn't that just fantastic…" She growled as a teenage waitress ran over, frizzy red hair tied into a tight ponytail. The waitress looked bored, mopping up the spilt desert.

"I'm sorry!" Alex forgot herself for the moment, bending down to help.

"No problem miss… OH EHM GEE ITS ALEX RUSSO AND SHANE GRAY!"

"Crap." Both Shane and Alex snapped, and then quickly caught themselves, offering to sign an autograph for the trembling waitress. This alerted the paparazzi – They had been waiting for Dakota Fanning or someone like that – who turned around and started flashing their fancy cameras.

"Hey Alex, what do you think about Hannah Montana hooking up with Johnny Depp?"

"Alex, Shane, are you two dating?"

"Shane, kiss her!"

"Hey Alex, give us a smile, love."

"Shane, is it true that Nate and Mitchie are engaged?"

"No!" Shane finally snapped. "What the _hell_ are you dumb-asses _bull-shitting_ about? Mitchie and Nate are _just friends_, and they're sitting right over there, okay? _RIGHT OVER THERE!"_

"Let's go." Alex pulled him away, and shielded herself from the cameras. Their attention soon turned to Mitchie, who had somehow smuggled herself through the door. Shane barged through the crowd to help Mitchie, and Alex found herself struggling with the reporters herself. "Excuse me." She hissed politely, though they refused to let her through.

"She said let her through."

Heads turned, and Nate, pushed in front of Alex, his strong arms making a path for her. "Move." He demanded, and the startled paparazzi instead concentrated on snapping photos of Nate Gray Assisting His Ex-Girlfriend as Nate tugged gently on her sweater.

Once Alex was through, she snapped. "Let go of me."

"I was just trying to help."

"Thanks, but I don't need your _assistance_. And I bet you're the one messing with my stuff. Well guess what, hands off, ass." With a final stormy glance, she hurled herself into the nearest cab, and slammed the door. "Please. As quick as possible," she sighed.

---------------------------------

"Holy crap." She muttered to no one in particular, and collapsed –again- onto her bed. She had been doing a lot of collapsing these past few days, and realized that the Alex she knew was slowly disintegrating. _Get a grip, Russo. _She decided to reach under her bed and pull out her guitar, strumming the nylon cords slowly, without any tune in mind. It would have been the perfect time for a song, but her brain was just too scrambled up, and she needed to take a rest – or lose her mind. And Alex Russo never liked to lose anything.

Diing. The doorbell rang just minutes after Alex had shut her eyes, and she wrenched herself from the comfort of her mattress to open the door an inch.

"Shane… I told you… Mitch?" She quickly swung open the door.

"Alex ohmigosh Iamsosorry and IswearIonlydid thosethingsbecauseIwas soangry atyouandimsofreakingsorrypleaseforgiveme IamevenconsideringtherapyIswear."

Alex brushed a curl away from her mouth, and slowly processed everything Mitchie had just spat out. "You did that stuff to my phone, and BlackBerry, and…"

"I'm so so so so so so sorry." Mitchie cried, and pulled Alex close to her in a tight hug. "I swear I will make it up to you. You can even keep my Jimmy's."

"I would never take your lucky Jimmy's!" Alex tightened the hug. "And I'm so sorry too! I shouldn't have been such an ass."

"So…" Shane cut in. "Are we friends again?"

"We never were not." Alex hugged Mitchie again, and the two girls laughed.

"Okay. This is way too much estrogen. Can we go for a drive or something?"

"Oh my gosh! Let's go shopping!"

"That's genius, Mitch!"

"I am definitely out of here." Shane rolled his eyes as the two friends continued to ignore him.

"I saw the hottest skirt yesterday!"

"The Stella McCartney?"

"Yes! Oh goodness, let me just use the bathroom and we can leave right now!"

"Hello?" Shane held up his hands in mock surrender as Alex shut the door to the bathroom.

---------------------------------

Alex turned the bathroom door handle, stepping out. She was delighted that she and Mitchie were best friends again, and go for the first shopping trip in what felt like _centuries_.

"I love you so much, damn."

_What?_ She decided to wait for a few minutes till there was silence again. When silence finally came, she turned the corner, only to find Shane and Mitchie with their lips pressed firmly against each other! Alex's mouth dropped open, and she did all she could- scream.

**A/N: Ohmigoodness! Hahahaha. Hmm. What's going to happen?**

**Anyway, it is the 15****th**** of July, and I want to wish you a very happy early birthday, bluebubble112! I hope you liked this chapter! **

**Special thanks to Hayley, my wonderful wonderful beta and all you super cool reviewers! You mean the world to me and I would even trade my vintage Marc Jacob's tote for you guys! **

**Hugs, Rin. **


	15. Memories

**Chapter 15**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

"F- Alex stopped herself before she cursed. "What the hell is happening?" Mitchie and Shane wrenched apart, a blush creeping over their cheeks. "I go to the bathroom and I return to see you _smooching_?"

"Tell her, Mitch." Shane nudged Mitchie, all while trying to hide from a very confused Alex (she was known to turn violent in doubt, after all.)

"Umm… we're kind of going out?" Was her lame reply, as she shrugged and stated the obvious.

"Since when?"

"Two weeks and four days ago." Shane volunteered. "I mean… I knew you weren't into me and I really liked Mitch so…" He trailed off.

Alex rolled her eyes at his otherwise obsessive answer. "First, never ever attempt to _get it on_ in my apartment from today onwards. Secondly, well, I'm so happy for you guys!" She ran up, wrapping her arms around both of them at once, surprising both Shane and Mitchie. _This just goes to show you never know what Alex Russo will do. _

"So you're not mad?" Mitchie quipped up, wrapping her right arm around Alex, at the same time linking her left hand through Shane's.

"Nope. Now can we just go shopping?" Alex grinned.

"Yes!"

"NO."

The last retort came from Shane, who sat down on Alex's pink covers looking disturbed. "Alex, you get stuff handed to you on the street, and Mitchie, you're beautiful as you are." He tried to go for Mitchie, the obvious weak link in the situation. But even lovesick Mitchie was blinded by her boyfriend's attempts at a compliment by the idea of some new Steve Madden boots and maybe a Fendi purse… _Oh! And a new skirt_.

"Shane." Alex's tone was accusatory, and she felt that she needed to somehow rescue her best friend. "If you don't drive us-"

"No, it's okay." Mitchie cut her off, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She stood up, walking over to Shane on the bed. "Because I know you love me. Even if you are being lazy and unreliable," she dropped her tone to a soft purr, "however, if you _do _drive us, I will be eternally _grateful_."

"Umm… I can drive. I got… nothing on… right now at this moment and point of time…" Shane was defeated. "Let's go." Then turning to Alex, he growled, "You are a terrible influence."

"I know," she smirked, and linked arms with Mitchie, winking at her best friend.

----------------------------

"Shopping! Shopping! Shopping!" Mitchie and Alex chanted, hands raised in the air as they bounced excitedly in their seats.

"Girls, I'm not starting the car till you sit down and strap up." Shane was grouchy, and showed it as he snapped moodily at them.

"Oh _Shaney_, do you have a problem?" Mitchie bent over to whisper in his ear. "Because I can _fix_ that."

Shane started the car.

----------------------------

Four Stella McCartney sales people were fussing over Mitchie and Alex and they wouldn't have had it any other way. After a quick stop at Starbucks, the girls finally got serious about some shopping. The minute they had entered the empty store, the doors had been locked to prevent paparazzi entering, and the music turned down to a soft hum while the store manager ran to get them some complimentary drinks. They browsed through the color-coordinated racks, all while chatting away about nothing in particular. Just then, Alex yanked out a gorgeous black velvet petal cropped jacket. "Mitchie!" She sang, throwing it over to her best friend.

Eventually, they left the store with only a few purchases, Mitchie's favorite being the divine black jacket; Alex's a pair of black satin peep-toe sling backs with adorable marabou tips. Apologizes had been made, hugs had been exchanged, and everything between the two friends was now nothing but goodness.

Just then however, Mitchie's phone rang with a special ringtone Alex had never heard before- Gotta Find You. "Shane." Mitchie mouthed, picking it up.

Alex rolled her eyes, giggling. She had forgotten how obsessed Mitchie was when she was in love.

"Urgh." Mitchie, groaned, shoving her phone back into her light pink Marc Jacobs tote. "They want us back at set. They say we need to shoot some _scene_ before tomorrow."

"Are we going to be there all night _again_?"

"Judging by Shane's _potty mouth_, yes."

"What exactly did he say?" Alex laughed, covering her mouth.

"Freaking managers want us to go back to the freaking set to shoot a freaking scene before freaking tomorrow."

"That's it?"

"He used another word that started with 'F'." Mitchie shrugged.

"Now _that_ sounds a lot more like Shane."

"I figured. Let's grab a cab."

----------------------------

"Beautiful. Alex, let's fix that hair." The hairstylist whipped out the flat iron, wielding it in the air with a noticeably French flourish.

"Is it okay if I _don't_ straighten my hair?" Alex said.

"I want my job, sweetheart, though I would look so pretty up, with a few strands curling down here and there. But hey, we all have to do lousy things for a living, eh?"

_Agreed. _

"Alex, darling? You okay?" The hairstylist patted her head gently, letting her slide off the seat.

"Fabulous. Thanks Renee."

"Just doing my job, hun."

----------------------------

Alex stepped into set, hair shining, straight and limp. She noticed Nate and Shane with the director, and attempted to walk away, but hearing her name being called, cringed and turned around.

"Come here, Alex. We need to go through the scene."

She groaned, and walked over, hoping she wouldn't mess up or say something stupid like 'you look amazing!' to Nate. "You called?"

Director Hillary Fortega forced a smile. "Yeah. We need to try that last scene again, with Nate, just that we were checking up on some undercover stuff, and we decided that it would be absolutely essential for the ratings if you and Nate were standing on the porch and instead of blowing him off, you reach up and kiss him-"

"What?" Alex blurted out. " I can't kiss him!" Nate took the opportunity to shrug sheepishly, and walk away into his place for the scene.

"Look _sweetie_." Hillary snapped. "Many people's jobs are at stake, so you better not screw this up. We all want to leave. Just kiss you ex-boyfriend, so we can finish shooting and go _home_!"

Alex silently walked over to Nate, cursing the day she ever auditioned for Disney. It was just so terribly unfair. _Karma was cruel! _

"Aaand… Take one, scene forty seven, go!"

"Selena," Nate ruffled his curls subconsciously.

"Nicholas. I told you never to come here again!" Alex almost bit her tongue. They were so near, in _touching _distance, she had to use all her will power to not grab his shirt and melt herself against him.

"I really do love you, Alex."

"Cuuut!" Hillary stomped over. "It's _like_, not love. And her name is Selena! Stay in role, Gray!"

"Sorry." Nate blushed. _Oh my goodness. He looks so amazing when he's blushing and all awkward. _

"Again. Taaake two, scene forty seven, go!"

"Selena."

"Nicholas. I told you never to come here again!"

"I really, _really_ like you, Selena." _He _had_ to add that extra 'really'. _

"You don't have to say that." Alex would have laughed at the sappy lines if she wasn't so entranced by his eyes that seemed to glow golden in the dimming light.

"I don't have to, I want to."

"And the kiss! Now!" Hillary butted in, yelling from where she had collapsed into her director's chair.

Alex could no longer resist, for she now pulled against his faded red button-down, yanking him close to her until their lips were against each other.

"_Alexandra, Alexandra. You silly little girl." Nate laughed as she danced through her room, hair flying behind her. _

"_I'm not little!" She argued, pouting. _

"_Okay. You're my beautiful girlfriend whom I love to distraction." _

"_Thank you. Now did you think that would make me kiss you?" Alex twirled a lock of black hair around her index finger. _

"_No. Definitely not." Nate seemed shocked at the idea. _

"_You always sucked at guessing games, Gray." And then she kissed him. _

"That's a wrap!" Everyone applauded, eager to go home. Alex turned around quickly so Nate wouldn't notice as memories flooded down her cheeks.

**A/N:**

_**Hola! **_

**I hope everyone is feeling simply fabulous. Thanks for all the lovely reviews the last time. Anyway, anybody, give a hand to Hayley, or **_**Scribblesx819**_**, who has been the lovely lady helping me with my story! Special thanks to everybody who reviewed the last time! **

**Please do review! It would make my day if I reached 100 reviews before this story ends (soon!).**

**~Erin **

**(PS: Review for a virtual hug!)**

**(PPS: Steve Madden or Uggs? I'm totally anti-Uggs.)**


	16. Kissing Him

**Chapter 16**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. **

_Oh, shit_. Alex could hear the quick footsteps of several people behind her. The footsteps were getting shorter, and funnily enough, they weren't calling her name. And if she was correct, the pursuers had stopped. She flashed a quick glance to see Mitchie pulling along a very unhappy Shane. "C'mon, Shane!" She heard her best friend mutter, and then drop her hand when she noticed Alex turning around. "Oh my goodness. You're crying! I told you!" The last statement was directed at Shane, accompanied with a hard slap to the thigh.

"Nate looks like I threw away his sheet music or something. He's going to do something. I know that look." Shane was concerned.

"So?" Alex brushed away a few trickling tears, hoping they wouldn't notice where she had bitten her lip.

"_Alex_!" Mitchie was getting impatient. "You are still madly, head-over-heels, dancing-through-a-daffodil-field kind of in love with Nate." _Okay. So maybe she had noticed. _

"I am not. I am not in love with him. Okay?" Alex felt like she was trying to convince herself to that fact. Because, as much as she denied it, she was. "Fine. Maybe I am. A little bit."

"A little bit?" Mitchie rolled her eyes. "You are crying over a kiss!" She nudged Shane for support, but Shane had his eyes narrowed. "Nate is going to do something stupid. I gotta go." He flung Mitchie's hand away, dashing across the set to the backdoor on his black Converse.

"Oh god, Alex. Now Nate is probably going to kill himself or something. Do you have any idea how much he loves you?"

Alex gave up trying to release herself from Mitchie and instead stared blankly back at her friend's amber eyes. "I know." Her own eyes soon welled up with tears again, and she pulled Mitchie into a hug. "I love him so much, Mitchie."

Mitchie's expression softened and she smiled gently, patting Alex's back. "I know. We all do. "

"I'm going to head home. " Alex attempted a weak smile, and picked up her bag, walking out of the studio again. "Do you want to…?"

Mitchie immediately understood, and picked up her own tote. "Do you want Chinese take-out?"

"Please."

-------------------

"Alex!" Mitchie's cries became apparent seconds after Alex had gotten home. "Open! Open! Open up!" She eventually flung the door open-by sheer force and dumped her cartons of Chinese food on the small dining table. "Turn on the television! Nate's on!"

"Mitch." Alex was upset at Mitchie's apparent thick-skinned behavior. "You know, I meant all I said about…"

"Turn on the _fucking_ TV, Lex!" Mitchie screamed, pushing Alex towards the television set. "Channel 5!"

Mitchie almost never swore, and Alex quickly tuned the flat-screen to its desired channel, only to see… Nate.

"So, Nate. Is it true about you and Alex? And why did you choose to reveal this today?" Alex caught a glance of Shane slamming his head into a wall behind the interviewer- celebrity Helen DeGeneres.

"Yes. And, Alex, if you are watching this, I mean everything I said_. I love you_."

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Helen smirked. This was _so_ worth kicking Beyonce off that day's show. "And did you say you had a song for Alex?" A picture of Alex flashed onto Helen's large screen. It was when she was sixteen and at a benefit with Nate. Her hair had been neatly curled and she had on a short black dress. She looked beautiful, and she had to cry when she saw Nate looking at her picture longingly. "Yes," she heard him choke out. "I have a song for her." He picked up his small acoustic guitar and crossed his legs in front of the large microphone. "Alex. I'm sorry."

This was evidently the title of his song, as he strummed the introduction, soft lilting voice soon making its way into the verses.

_Filled with sorrow, filled with pain _

_Knowing that I am to blame_

_For leaving your heart out in the rain _

_And I know your gonna walk away _

_And leave me with the price to pay _

_But before you go I wanted to say_

_That I'm sorry _

_For breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep _

_It's all me _

_This time is the last time that I will ever beg you to stay. _

_But you're already on your way._

He suddenly stopped, choking back his own tears as Alex cried silently on her couch. He blushes, and then ends the interview quickly before dashing off as the credits roll. Where he goes Alex did not know, but she remained lying on the couch as Mitchie hugged her. "I'm so sorry. So sorry…" Alex cried to no body in particular.

_That I'm sorry _

_For breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep _

_It's all me _

_This time is the last time that I will ever beg you to stay. _

_But you're already on your way._

Nate's voice soon wafted from outside after a few minutes of tears and Kleenex. Mitchie sprung to the door and with a muffled cry of surprise, run out as Nate came in.

Alex sat up quickly, a ghost of her former cocky half-smile on her face. "So did you think that would've made me forgive you, Gray?" She then stood up, making her way across the room to Nate.

"No." Nate seemed disgusted at himself, and prepared himself for another one of his long speeches. "I just wanted to let you know how much-"

"You always sucked at guessing games." And then Alex kissed him.

**A/N:  
OH MY GOODNESS!**

**It's over! I'm crying so hard right now because I cannot imagine what I would have done without you guys reviewing, and commenting, and doing everything for me. You guys are truly the best and I can only be so very grateful for you. **

**I hope you guys will check out my new series: Taming the Wild Beast**

**htt p****://ww fiction. net/ s/5123788/1/**** Taming_The_Wild_Beast**

**Remove all spaces. **

**I can't say anymore you all, I'm crying THAT hard. **

**Thanks so much, especially Hayley who has been so fantastic and oh goodness, I'm really going to lose it right now. Thank you! Thank you all! **


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

_A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person._

_- Germaine Greer_

"Hello beautiful." Nate wrapped his arms around Alex, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "And… can I just add that you look perfectly delicious right now?" He whispered in her ear, causing her to slap him lightly on his shoulder. But Alex certainly looked, delicious, as Nate put it. Gone were the long, unruly curls from six years before. They had been cut into the more mature shoulder-length waves that the twenty-four year old now wore. Nate couldn't believe the change that had overcome her. When they had first met, she was fifteen – in a vintage Gun's N Roses T-shirt and navy skinny jeans. And then, they were together for a short year. They had broken off, entirely Nate's fault, and not something that he intended to remember anytime soon, and reconnected a two years later. Even then, Alex had shown many signs of changing. Her hair had lost its dark red highlights, and was no longer flat ironed into oblivion. However, as beautiful as she was then, Alex still grumbled at the old photo of the two of them in Nate's wallet, complaining about how much hair product she must have had to use to keep her hair so long. Luckily for Nate, there would be many more photographs to replace that one.

Now, Alex fidgeted with her floor length, strapless, Vera Wang gown. Her maid of honor, best friend Mitchie, was busying herself with fixing Alex's stubborn hair into an elegant up do, screaming that Nate wasn't-supposed-to-see-her-yet-so-would-he-for-fuck's-sake-get-the-hell-out? "Go entertain Shane or something, get Addie off him for a bit, Nate!" were her exact words, but Nate was pretty sure that the former was what Mitchie really meant.

And then he got locked out.

So Nate had no choice but to make his way to his two-year-old nephew, Adam, or 'Addie', as Mitchie loved to call him. Adam had inherited the raven-black hair of his father, though somehow, in the process, received the amber eyes of his mother. Adam was now living the blissful life of an only child, but considering the sex maniacs both parents were, little Addie Gray should be expecting a sibling anytime soon. Fortunately, Nate heard Mitchie's calls again to start the procession, and with an encouraging slap on the back from Shane, Nate was off. _It didn't make a difference_, he thought, _I had already seen her in the dressing room. _But as he caught sight of his beautiful wife-to-be, he caught himself quickly, toes tapping uncontrollably in his black dress shoes. She was absolutely stunning, divine, even, and Nate Gray was not a man prone to exaggeration.

He reached over as she approached, and finally, _finally_, when they had said 'I do," he kissed her. Light and fast. Because he knew there would be much more kissing later on. And he held her hand, shooting her excited glances, as she raised one eyebrow at him, and then cracking up at his expression, reminding him of exactly why he had fallen in love with her in the first place.

**A/N:**

**Ahh!**

**The much awaited epilogue!**

**Kisses you guys, please read my new Smitchie story:**

**Taming the Wild Beast!**

**Hooray! **

**Hugs and Kisses, **

**Erin. **


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